Existing comment:
The Howard Theatre Walk of Fame
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, known as the "Godmother of Rock and Roll", broke race and gender barriers with her genre-bending gospel music and guitar prowess. Initially drawing some criticism from churchgoers for the secular sound of her music, Tharpe would eventually pioneer a semblance of gospel, soul, and jazz that was the precursor to rock and roll -- her innovative style was often cited by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Chuck Berry.
Billy Eckstine (1914-1993)
Billy Eckstine spent his young adult years in the nearby Truxton Circle neighborhood before launching his career at Howard Theatre's Amateur Night talent competitions. His big band pioneered the bop jazz style, employing young, preeminent emerging artists as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. However, hits like "Cottage for Sale" (1945) and "Caravan" (1949, recording with Duke Ellington) in his solo career following his big band day would cement Eckstine's legacy as one of the country's most influential jazz vocalists.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Ella Fitzgerald, the "First Lady of Song", got her start as a teenager at one of the Howard Theatre's first Amateur Night talent competitions before moving to Harlem and solidifying her electrifying career. With 13 Grammy Awards, and her and with The Chick Webb Orchestra hit "A-Tisket, A Tasket" (1938) selling over a million copies, Fitzgerald became internationally regarded as one of the most influential female singers of the twentieth century.
Cab Calloway (1907-1994)
Cab Calloway, a Baltimore native, led one of the most prominent swing-era big bands through the 1930s and 1940s. His top hit, "Minnie the Moocher" (1931), earned him the nickname "The Hi Di Ho Man" -- and ultimately served as the testament to his showmanship and signature scat-style singing.
Mamie Smith (1883-1946)
Mamie Smith, credited with being the first recorded blues singer, established a paradigm of recorded albums marketed primarily to Black Americans -- known as race records. Her hit, "Crazy Blues" (1920) singlehandedly broke color barriers in the recording industry, and propelled the blues and jazz genres into mainstream audiences of the 1920s.
Abbie Mitchell 1884-1964
Abbie Mitchell is largely known for her role of Clara in George Gershwin's 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess. She went to be the first to record "Summertime" (1935), a selection from the opera that is now considered to be a jazz standard. Fifteen years prior, Mitchell shared the bill with several vaudeville acts for the Howard Theatre's opening night on August 22, 1910. |